Take Care
by Lynnlee22
Summary: Billy/Phyllis
1. Chapter 1

She saw the judgment in his eyes as he looked at her. "Don't start," she snarled. The liquid burned her throat all the way down and she hissed as she slammed the empty shot glass back down on the bar with vigor. "I don't need your suggestions and I sure as hell don't need that look."

Nick nodded. "Point taken. But as your friendly bartender, might I suggest you slow down a bit."

"You can suggest anything you want," Phyllis huffed, "But I'm gonna ignore you. Now, are you gonna get me another or do I need to take my business elsewhere?"

He sighed as he reached for the bottle and filled the glass again. His hand was quicker than her already slowed reflexes as he grabbed covered the top of it quickly. "Your keys first," he grinned.

"Ugh, fine," she growled. She reached for her purse on the bar, feeling her body sway a bit as she moved. Her hand gripped the bartop to keep from toppling off the stool. "I'm good," she said quickly, before Nick had a chance to ask. The keys landed on the bar in front of him as she straightened back up. "My drink?"

"Here you go," he muttered.

"Thank you." She took a small sip of the drink, the familiar burn spreading throughout her body as Nick turned his attention to another lonely patron on the other side of the room. She didn't blame him. It wasn't his responsibility to keep her spirits up and it was an impossible job anyway. As much as she wanted to pretend it didn't get to her. As much as she wanted to pretend that he was a bastard that she was better off without, she couldn't deny the fact that she missed him.

She woke up alone in the morning. She went to bed alone at night. She came home after work to an empty apartment. It was an awful lot of alone.

"We said we'd do this another time."

The deep voice startled her and she turned to look to her left. "Jordan," she breathed, "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you're doing here I imagine." He smiled as his eyes roved over her body. He'd spent the better part of the last few days cursing himself for having been so stupid. Phyllis had never even shown a passing interest in him and yet it hadn't even struck him as strange that she'd invited him back to her apartment so quickly.

In truth, he might never have connected it had he not seen Hillary sitting with her earlier today. The two seemed positively chipper as they toasted each other with mimosas – And suddenly, it all made sense. He couldn't get back at Hillary yet, but he could make sure her minions understood exactly who they were messing with.

Jordan turned towards her, flashing his most disarming grin. "It's not a good idea for a beautiful woman to drink alone in a bar."

He was trouble and she knew it. She knew what Hillary had told her. She knew what her own intuition said, but she also knew how pathetic she felt sitting at this bar alone. It was nice to have someone pay attention to her. It was nice to be chased again…even if she didn't really want to be caught – at least not by him. "Well," she sighed, flashing her own smile in return, "I guess it's a good thing I'm not alone anymore."

* * *

"Billy." Hillary placed her hands flat on the top of the bar as she caught her breath. "Thank God I found you."

"Me?" He smiled as he turned towards her. "I'd be flattered but…"

"Oh, shut up. I don't have time for your ridiculous banter right now," she spat, "Do you know where Phyllis is? I've been trying to call her for almost an hour and I can't get her to pick up her cell."

The mere mention of her name was like a slap in his face and he felt his entire body slump. "No," he sighed. "She hasn't returned any of my calls in days and she won't let me in the apartment. I haven't seen her since the other night when she stood by and let me get arrested." He paused, expecting something, a smart remark, some sympathy maybe but, when he received nothing but silence, he let his eyes raise to meet hers. The expression of concern was evident and he felt his heart quicken. "What's the matter?" A sick, sinking feeling spread over him. "Hillary," he repeated, "Why are you looking for Phyllis? Is she alright?"

"I hope so," she breathed. "I really hope so."

* * *

"Talk." Billy pulled the bar stool away from him and motion for her to sit down. "Hillary, please…just tell me."

She hesitated for a moment. Phyllis was her friend and she knew how difficult things were with Billy at the moment. She also knew Jordan was unpredictable. If he'd con widows, he certainly wasn't concerned with hurting Phyllis. "I…"

"Hillary. Look, I know Phyllis has probably told you about what's been going on with us and I'd imagine you have your own opinion of the things I've done and what I deserve, but I also know that you're not a saint, so please….If you couldn't just put all of that aside right now. All I care about is Phyllis and if something's wrong, if you're worried…." He waited, hoping his plea was heartfelt enough to break through the obvious reservations.

"It's about Jordan," she sighed. "She told me you walked in on the two of them the other night."

"Yeah. I did. I didn't know the two of them were a thing and I didn't exactly handle the knowledge all that well. I don't think Phyllis appreciated my reac…"

"She's not….I mean, Phyllis was doing me a favor. I needed to get into Jordan's room to look for something and I asked her to distract Jordan for me. That's why she was with him. That's why he was in her apartment." She watched as relief spread over his face.

"So she wasn't…She isn't?" He smiled.

"Wait," she breathed. "I got the information I needed and it was worse than I thought. Jordan is really bad news and he knows that I was in his room. He also knows I had help."

Realization hit as his mouth grew dry. "You think he knows it was Phyllis?"

"I don't know," Hillary said quietly. "I know he's not here…in his room tonight and I know I can't get Phyllis to answer the phone. I'm not usually the type to jump to the worst possible conclusions, but…."

"But you're worried." Billy could feel his heart pounding as he tried to keep his mind from spinning out of control, "And you know more about this guy than I do, so if you think he's capable of…"

"Jordan doesn't care about anyone but himself and if he thinks Phyllis is a threat to what he's trying to do…"

Billy stood up. "I'll find her," he said. "And I'll call you as soon as I do. You call me if you hear from Jordan, okay?"

Hillary nodded as she watched him rush from the Athletic Club. She gestured to the bartender to bring her a drink. Tonight, she could certainly use one.


	2. Chapter 2

Jordan shifted closer to her at the bar as he pushed another shot towards her hand. "One more?"

"Maybe I…" Her tongue felt heavy as she tried to speak. The room seemed to take a moment to catch up as she turned her head, much like a movie that buffered while streaming. "I've probably had enough," she managed.

"Nah." He ran his hands through her hair. "You're good. It's not good to drink alone, but as you said….you're not alone."

"I know, but…" She looked down at the shot in front of her before looking across the room to meet Nick's disapproving gaze. He shook his head at her. "Nick," she said softly. "He's already said I…" It was hard to stay focused as the warm, fuzzy sensation seemed to spread through her entire body.

"Hell with Nick." His breath was warm as he leaned in towards her face. "You know what? Maybe we should get out of here…go somewhere that Nick doesn't have any business. Maybe back to my place."

"I'm really tired." Phyllis ran her hand across her face. "I should probably just go to bed," she breathed.

"I've got a bed." His mouth curved into a smile as he let his lips brush against her ear. "We can share." He saw the hesitation on her face and he pulled back a bit. "Or, if you want, I can just take you back to your place. I certainly wouldn't want to put you in a car like this. There's a lot of guys out there that aren't as much of a gentleman as I am."

Phyllis drew in a breath. "I…I probably should just go home." She blinked slowly as she looked up at him. She wasn't sure he was a gentleman, but he was probably a safer option than a cab and he was certainly less embarrassing than asking Nick for help. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

Billy punched the elevator buttons as quickly as possible. He shifted nervously as he waited for the doors to open. "Come on, Phyllis," he muttered aloud. "Be here. You love working late when no one is in the office. Just be here."

He pushed through the small opening in the doors before the elevator opened fully and walked quickly down the hall. His feet stopped as he reached her door and he held his breath as he slammed his fist on to the cool wood. "Phyllis!" he called. "Phyllis, if you're in there, please open the door."

"Billy?"

Billy turned to look behind him. "Jack," he breathed. "Have you seen Phyllis today? Do you know if she's still in the office by chance?"

"Not that I know of," Jack said honestly. "She left a few hours ago unless she came back for some reason. I'm guessing the two of you haven't worked things out."

"No. We haven't, but I just need to find her tonight. She's not at her apartment and she's not answering her cell. I need to make sure everything's okay with her."

Jack stood still for a moment as he stared at the strange expression on his brother's face. "What does that mean, Billy? Why wouldn't Phyllis be okay? Did something happen? Did you do something?"

"No. It's nothing like that. It's just something Hillary told me. I think maybe she's gotten herself mixed up with someone that's not…" He took a breath. "I'd really like to explain this to you, but I really need to find Phyllis." Billy turned back towards the elevator. "If you hear from her, just have her call me, or you call me if she won't, okay? Please."

Jack nodded. No matter what he thought of Billy and Phyllis' relationship, it was clear that something serious was going on tonight. "Okay," he said softly. "I will."

* * *

"Whoa, you okay?" Jordan let his hand rest against the small of her back as she leaned back a bit on the stool.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I'm okay. I'm just a little…" She felt the words drifting away from her. "I think I've maybe had a little bit too much to drink."

"I don't know about that," he said with a smile. "I think you've had just the right amount. So what do you think? You ready to let me take you home?"

She nodded, feeling the weight of her head on an increasingly relaxed neck. "Yeah. Yeah. I think so." Phyllis let her feet rest on the floor as she tried to place her weight on her legs. The effort to stand seemed too much to fathom and she looked up at Jordan with drooping eyes.

"Let me help you," he sighed, removing his jacket and wrapping it around her arms. He pulled her closer to him, a bit surprised when she didn't resist. Whether she was too drunk or too desperate didn't matter to him, the result would be the same.

"Wait a second."

Phyllis looked up as she heard Nick's voice. "What now?" she whined.

"Where are you going with him?" Nick looked over at Jordan, his eyes full of disapproval. "Why don't you just stay here and I'll give you a ride home when I head out."

"Because I don't need your help." Her words slurred as she tried desperately to focus on him. Her vision blurred as she blinked. "I already have a ride home."

"I think he's offering a different kind of ride entirely," Nick huffed. "Look, just sit down here and I'll get Noah to watch the bar and I'll take you home right now."

"Nick!" She slammed her hand down on the bar and looked around the room as heads turned towards her. "You don't get to do that anymore," she snapped. "You don't decisions make me for." She shook her head. "I mean…" She swallowed hard as she felt her body sway again. "Just leave me alone."

"Phyllis," Nick tried again. "Would you just listen to me."

"What about me?"

No matter how drunk she was, No matter how scattered she felt, and how unfocused her thoughts seemed, the voice behind her grounded her in a way little else could. Somehow she managed to turn around to face him, her legs trembling beneath her as she tried to remain upright.

"Billy." Her tone was a mix of surprise and anger. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he answered, the relief evident on his face. "And getting you away from this jerk."


	3. Chapter 3

"I gave you a pass last time because you were clearly drunk off your ass, but tonight, I'm not feeling too generous." Jordan stepped in front of Phyllis as he eyed Billy. "Why don't you just move on?"

Billy stepped to the side, trying to meet Phyllis' gaze again. "I actually don't recall addressing you at all. I was talking to Phyllis, so if you'll excuse us."

"I don't want to talk to you, Billy." Phyllis reached back towards the bar, the act of standing proving to be an incredibly difficult feat. "I thought we'd established that. I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to see you. We're done. It's over. You might as well get that through your head."

"There you go. You heard the lady. She doesn't want to talk to you, so you can just move alone. Nobody wants you here." Jordan stared at him, thinking how easily he would be able to overtake him. Billy wasn't physically daunting and an altercation with him would surely be an easy win, but he'd much spend his time putting his hands on Phyllis than Billy. "You ready to go?" he said softly, flashing a grin at her and smiling wider as he saw how much the question bothered Billy.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm ready to go."

"Phyllis." His hand grabbed her arm softly, but with a firmness that stilled her immediately. "You're not really gonna go with this guy."

"I.." She swayed slightly towards him and he caught her quickly, the warmth of his hands resting on the small of her back as he looked into her eyes.

Billy breathed in as he held her up. "How much have you had to drink?" He looked over at Jordan, his eyes staring daggers at him. "Is this what you were going for?"

"Hey!" It was hard to be indignant and upright at the same time, but she pressed on. "Jordan is just…" She swallowed and refocused, trying again. "Jordan is taking me home."

"I bet he is," Billy sighed. "I can only imagine where he's taking you."

"Phyllis." Nick's voice interrupted them. "I talked to Noah. He's gonna watch the bar and I can take you home."

"You're not taking me home!" She whined as she slammed her hands down against her thighs. "I don't need your help."

"I really think you do. You've had a lot to drink and I'd feel better if I just made sure you got home alright." Nick looked over at Jordan, who stood far too close to her for his liking.

"I'll make sure she gets home okay. We've got it covered." Jordan snaked his arm around her again and pulled her towards him.

Billy pulled her arm towards him again and she struggled to keep from losing her balance. "Would you just…both of you, just stop."

"Just come here a minute, please?" Nick touched her shoulder and motioned for her to step away from the two men.

She huffed dramatically but followed him. "What?" she whined.

"You can't go with him. That guy is not gonna take care of you. He's a jerk and he's…"

"That's what I was trying to tell her." Billy's voice boomed as he stepped up behind them. "The guy's an ass."

"So are you." Phyllis turned around and stumbled backwards into Nick. "You shouldn't even be here."

"I was looking for you. I was worried about you. I ran into Hillary and she told me that she'd been trying to call you all night. Where's your phone?" Billy could see the doubt on Nick's face as Phyllis turned her purse and grabbed her phone. The two men stood in front of each other as she fumbled to retrieve her voicemails.

"Look," Billy began, "I know you don't think much of me, but this guy is really bad news and she can't leave here with him. Whatever we have to do to make sure that doesn't happen, we've got to do that."

Nick was quiet for a moment. "I don't think you're right for Phyllis and I certainly don't like that you've hurt my sister the way you have, but I do agree with you on this. Nothing good will come from her leaving with this jerk."

"Good, so just help me convince her to let me take her home." Billy breathed in with relief.

"I never said she'd be better off with you," Nick huffed. "That would just be trading one jerk for another."

Billy shook his head and turned to look back at Jordan. "You might want to be more concerned about that jerk at the moment though…especially since he's talking to your girlfriend."

Nick looked up, surprised to see Chelsea standing beside Jordan. "Damn," Nick sighed.

"You wanna reconsider helping me now, or you think it's a good idea to leave Chelsea here to keep Jordan company?"

* * *

"Phyllis."

She looked up as she placed her phone back in her purse. "What?" she breathed. "I really don't need your judgment right now, Nick. My head is pounding and I just want to go home. I'll just a call service, okay?"

He shook his head. "Why don't you just let Billy take you home?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You want me to let Billy take me home. Arent' you one that keeps telling me over and over again that Billy isn't good enough for me and now you're suddenly his cheerleader?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly." Nick smiled. "I just definitely don't think you need to go with Jordan and since Chelsea's here…." He pointed over to the corner of the room where Chelsea and Jordan now sat in a booth together.

"Oh," Phyllis breathed. "So, now your girlfriend is here and you don't have time for a pesky ex-wife."

"You know you'll never just be any old pesky ex-wife to me," he smiled, "but seriously, I'd feel a lot better if I knew you were getting home safe and no matter what I think about Billy, I do know he'll get you home safe."

She huffed as she glanced over at Billy. His eyes lit up as her gaze met his. "He's such an ass," she hissed.

Nick leaned in closer to her. "You can be too," he whispered into her ear, "Even when you're drunk off yours."

"I'm not drunk," she protested, "I've just had a few drinks."

His furrowed his brows as he stared at her incredulously.

"Okay," she groaned, pressing her hand to her face. "I'm drunk."

"No kidding," he smiled. "Does that mean you'll let Billy take you home?"

She grabbed her purse before stepping away from the bar, grateful when Nick steadied her. "Alright," she sighed as she stopped in front of Billy. "You can take me home, but you'll drop me at the door. You're not coming in. You got it?"

Billy smiled. "Got it," he said softly. He reached out to wrap his arm around her, the feel of her next to him something he'd missed far more than he realized. "Not try to be forward, but uh..you might need some assistance in the mobility department at the moment."

"Just get me to the car, Billy," she snapped. She wouldn't allow herself to look at him. The brief glance into his eyes had been like home and his arms around her felt warm and comfortable – as if she fit there. He was taking her home, where she no longer lived with him. This was nothing more than a simple ride.


	4. Chapter 4

She pulled away from him as he tried to wrap his arm around her. Billy sighed as he watched her take two steps before stumbling. "Will you just let me help you, please?"

"I don't need … help your …" She stopped, forcing her eyes to refocus on the building that seemed to move in front of her. "your help," she huffed. "I don't need your help."

He couldn't help but smile as he looked down at her. "Say that while standing upright and putting one foot in front of the other and I might actually believe you."

She felt his arm wrapping around her again and, although she wanted to jerk away from him, she had to admit she felt more stable with the support. "Just get me inside and you go …"

"Alright. Alright." She was far too stubborn to try and argue with and in truth, he didn't want to waste the limited time he had with her engaging in trivial back and forth. Instead he reveled in the way she fit into his arms so perfectly, how her head seemed to fall so naturally onto his chest, how the warmth of her body seemed to move through him as she breathed in and out slowly. She was silent as they rode in the elevator up to her apartment and the familiar ding of the doors opening finally ended the moment between them.

"Damnit," she sighed as she tried to no avail to situate the key into the door. "It always does this …"

Billy laughed. "Does it? Why don't you give me that?" He took the key from her hand and opened the door easily, letting her walk inside and helping her over to the couch. "You just sit there, okay and I'll get you …"

"No. No. You go. I said you had to go once you … you go once you get …"

"You really think that's a good idea? You can barely sit up straight and …"

"And that's not your problem anymore, remember? I'm not your problem. You have plenty of problems, Billy Abbott, but I'm not one of them, so why don't you just go!"

"Phyllis …" He sighed as he looked at her. She was so clearly in need of some help, but just as clearly unwilling to admit it. "You're not a problem. I'm here because I want to be. I want to help you. I want to be here."

"I don't want you here … not anymore … not after what you did. You lied to me. You used me … all for Victoria … You always put her first and …"

He sat down beside her on the couch. "Can we not do this now? Please? Not tonight. I'm here and there's a reason for that. We've got a chance to fix this and …"

"You're here because you've got this crazy idea that I can't survive without you and I can … and I will. I'll be just fine without you."

"Is that why you were about to let that idiot drive you home? You don't know anything about him, what he's capable of, what he might do?"

"Jordan?" She let the breath leave her lips in a quick huff. "Jordan's all talk. He's not gonna do anything. I was just letting him think that I might be interested to help Hillary out with something and now …"

"And now Hillary thinks that he might be more than a little upset with you for that … She was so worried about it that she called me to try to …" He stopped as he saw the look on her face, realizing suddenly he shouldn't have betrayed Hillary's confidence.

"Hillary called you?" Her lips tightened in annoyance. "I'll make sure to have a chat with her about that. She had no right to …"

"She had every right, Phyllis! She was worried about you. She didn't want anything to happen to you. She cares about you! I care about you! I love you!"

The words hung in the air for a moment and he thought, however briefly, that she might let the chill that existed between them thaw. Instead she looked at him again with the same cold eyes he'd seen all night. "You don't treat people you love the way you treated me." Her eyes shone at him as she stared back at him. "Just go."

"Don't ask me to do that, please. What if Jordan comes back? What if Hillary's right? I made you a promise … I promised you that you'd never be alone again, that I'd always have your back. I just want to make sure you're okay and …"

"I'll be fine." She cut him off. "I don't need your protection. I don't need you here and I certainly don't need your version of love." She moved to stand, but felt her legs tremble beneath her at the start of the motion. Instead she pointed to the door, her face serious as she looked at him. "Get out."

He sighed as she finally moved towards the door and opened it. With a final glance, he looked back at her, hoping she might change her mind, but her look stayed the same. He pulled the door shut behind him as he moved into the hallway.

She let the air leave her lungs slowly as she felt her eyes begin to burn. Sleep couldn't come soon enough tonight.

* * *

"Uhhh…" She groaned as she put her hand to her head. Hungover seemed far too weak a word to use for the way she felt. She needed coffee but the idea of making it seemed impossible. The small coffee kiosk in the lobby was far from gourmet, but at least it didn't require as much effort on her part. She pulled her jacket closed and threw her sunglasses on. Feeling this bad made her care very little about how horribly she looked.

She turned the doorknob and almost instantly found herself flying backwards. Her body fell into the couch as Billy fell back against her.

"What the …"

He struggled to his feet, taking a moment to consider his surroundings. "Are you okay?" He reached out to her, as he helped her to her feet.

"I …" She stammered a bit. "What are you doing here? Were you waiting out there? Were you just waiting on me to need you, to let you in? Were you that sure that I was gonna cave or something? Do you honestly think that highly of yourself that you …"

"I was just making a phone call. The service in the parking structure is horrible. You know that and I was waiting for a call back and I guess I just feel asleep. That's all. I wasn't waiting for you. You made it very clear that you didn't need my help and …" He wanted to tell her the truth, that he'd waited there all night because he'd been afraid Jordan might have showed up. But now, as he looked at the anger in her eyes, he wondered if it might pointless. Maybe she'd never forgive him. Maybe she'd never let him back in. "You know what, just forget it. You wanted me to go? I'm gone."

"Wait."

At first he thought he might have misunderstood her or simply dreamed the word into being. He turned back towards her. "What?"

She wanted to be angry with him. She wanted to hold the horrible thing he'd done against him for the rest of his life, but it was him. For every awful, stupid, inconsiderate thing he did, there were other things, beautiful things, amazing things that made her realize just how much he truly did love her. "You didn't fall asleep out there waiting for some phone call did you?" She stared into his eyes intently as she waited for his answer.

"What does it matter?"

"It matters. You weren't out there by accident. You were out there because you were afraid Jordan might show. You stayed to make sure I was okay. You sat out there all night because you promised that you'd never leave me alone again, didn't you?"

He took a step closer to her, feeling as if she might finally be understanding how sincere he was in his efforts. "I meant what I said," he said softly. "I made you a promise and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything ever happened to you. Even if you don't want me here, even if you're angry with me, even if you don't want me in the house … you can't kick me out of a public hallway. You can't make me stop loving you."

In some cases, his stubborn nature made her crazy, but right now, he was fighting for her … for them and though she still wanted to smack him on a regular basis, she couldn't pretend his dedication wasn't romantic as hell. "I never said I wanted to," she whispered, smiling slightly as she looked at him.

"Maybe I misunderstood then." He returned her slight smile, hesitantly stepping even closer to her. She seemed to be softening towards him, but it felt tenuous at best. "I kind of thought when you threw me out of here and told me that you didn't want my version of love that you were …"

She held up her hand. "Know when to stop." She couldn't help but smile as the charming grin she'd missed spread across his face. "I was just about to go down and get some coffee. Maybe you'd like to go with me?"

"Or …" He looked at her for a moment, as he gently removed the sunglasses from her face. Her eyes blinked slowly at him. "Maybe I go down to Crimson Lights and get us some breakfast and coffees and bring them back here? We could eat and talk and see where things go?"

"You probably didn't get much sleep out there in the hallway, huh? You could probably use some coffee too." He stepped closer towards her and this time she didn't move away.

"Among other things," he smiled. "It would be nice to have a bed to sleep in."

She laughed softly as she felt his arms wrap around her. "Just sleep?"

"Among other things," he whispered. The coffee and breakfast could wait, but taking care of each shouldn't have to.


End file.
